The Seattle Mariners finally ended their playoff drought this year, one that lasted 21 years.
For reference, 2001 was the year in which Ichiro Suzuki made his MLB debut.
Edgar Martinez, Kazuhiro Sasaki, Jay Buhner, and Mike Cameron played on that team.
Felix Hernandez hadn’t even made his MLB debut and was a teenager, and Lou Piniella was the manager.
It sure seems like a different era.
But back to our 2022 Mariners: with a 90-72 record, they made the playoffs as the fifth seed in the American League.
The night in which they clinched a playoff berth will stick in fans’ minds forever.
It was, of course, on a walk-off home run that the Mariners sealed their ticket to the postseason.
Raleigh’s Unforgettable Shot
Playing against the Oakland Athletics, catcher Cal Raleigh hit the game-winning homer in the bottom of the ninth, on a 3-2 count.
He drove the ball near the right field post to send the crowd into a frenzy.
Everybody in T-Mobile Park was screaming, smiling, and hugging.
The Spanish call by Mariners play-by-play announcer Alex Rivera was magnificent.
This call is gold 🎙 pic.twitter.com/M5h8yek5sn
— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) November 9, 2022
Rivera completed his 17th season as the Spanish play-by-play voice of the Mariners broadcast team in 2022.
He sure brings a different way of calling games, with the phrase “Pa’la calle!” (the translation would be “to the streets”, but a better way to write it would be “it’s outta here!”) when the M’s hit a home run.
The moment, and what was at stake, required a legendary call for the Mariners’ Spanish-speaking fans.
Rivera sure delivered one, and it was by far the highlight of Seattle’s successful 2022.
Next year, they will come back hungrier than ever.
